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Man facing charges following AMBER alert, protection from abuse violation

SHIPPENSBURG, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. – A man is in jail today after violating a protection from abuse order in Cumberland County. Police say, he was the s...

SHIPPENSBURG, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. - A man is in jail today after violating a protection from abuse order in Cumberland County. Police say, he was the suspect in an AMBER alert issued out of Shippensburg last night.

Kelvin Mojica-Reyes is facing a number of charges including kidnapping and unlawful restraint after violating a protection from abuse order and kidnapping a woman and her daughter in Shippensburg Thursday. The incident prompted an AMBER alert for the child. Now, domestic violence advocates are reminding victims this incident should not diminish the importance of filing a protection from abuse order.

"So a PFA, while it is a piece of paper," said Julie Bancroft, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence. "It's a really important PFA for someone seeking safety from an abuser."

Bancroft says one of the most dangerous times for victims is leaving an abusive relationship.

"When someone's trying to leave an abusive relationship," said Bancroft. "That can be one of the most dangerous times because it's a time when the abuser's power and control is compromised."

In this incident, the victim filed a PFA for her and her daughter against Reyes about 24 hours before the alleged kidnapping happened. Court paperwork shows Shippensburg Police were initially called to North Fayette Street, where Reyes was reportedly assaulting the woman in the parking lot. By the time police arrived, a witness told them Reyes had left with the woman and her daughter.

Police say, when Reyes stopped for gas in Adams County, he told the woman she could drive back to Shippensburg. That's where she was found by police.

Reyes is currently being held in the Cumberland County Prison without bail, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement is involved in the case because Reyes overstayed his visa.

Bancroft tells FOX43 she hopes prosecutors utilize the full extent of the law and go for the highest penalties possible in domestic violence cases like this one.

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